Coordination and subordination: the test

Multiple choice test

ELT Concourse home page
Choose the best answer

  1. In In order to catch the bus he hurried down the road we have:
    1.   A preposition acting to coordinate
    2.   A preposition acting to subordinate
    3.   A coordinating conjunction
    4.   A complex subordinating conjunction
  2. In Because John was alone we invited him for dinner but he didn't want to come we have:
    1.   One subordinate clause and two coordinated clauses
    2.   Three coordinated clauses
    3.   Two subordinated clauses and one coordinated clause
    4.   Three subordinated clauses
  3. In Not wearing a tie will mean they won't let you in we have:
    1.   A sentence in which the clauses can be reversed with no loss of meaning
    2.   A coordinated sentence of two clauses
    3.   A non-finite verb form acting as a conditional subordinator
    4.   A simple sentence with no subordination
  4. In So that she could see, she stood on a box we have:
    1.   A compound-complex sentence
    2.   A compound sentence
    3.   A fronted subordinator
    4.   A fronted coordinator
  5. Why is So that I could see his footsteps the snow was fresh on the ground wrong?
    1.   Because the direction of causality is mistaken
    2.   Because so that is a subordinator and cannot be fronted
    3.   Because so that is a coordinator and cannot be fronted
    4.   Because it should be ... the snow was so fresh on the ground that ...
  6. In She left the money on the kitchen table before she went out and the boy took it we have:
    1.   Two coordinated clauses and one subordinated clause
    2.   One main clause and two coordinated subordinate clauses
    3.   Three coordinated clauses
    4.   Three subordinated clauses
  7. Why is She stayed at home so it was raining wrong but It was raining so she stayed at home correct?
    1.   Because the conjunction is only a coordinator when it refers to cause and effect
    2.   Because although the conjunction is a subordinator, this is semantically impossible
    3.   Because although the conjunction is a coordinator, this is semantically impossible
    4.   Because the conjunction should be because of in this case
  8. In Tired, miserable, wet, we waited for the bus we have:
    1.   A missing subordinator
    2.   Asyndectic subordination
    3.   Asyndectic coordination
    4.   A subordinated clause
  9. Two independent clauses can only be joined by ...
    1.   attachment
    2.   linking
    3.   coordination
    4.   subordination
  10. In The car broke down and that was why I was late we have:
    1.   A relative adverb phrase acting to subordinate
    2.   A relative adverbial phrase acting to coordinate
    3.   A relative pronoun phrase acting to subordinate
    4.   A sentence in which the clauses can be reversed with no loss of meaning